

Cardiovascular System
Heart, cells, and blood.
In this guide you will meet the heart and the blood it pumps through vessels.
Video Overview
Watch this guide overview video; you can select the closed captioning “cc” option if you would like to see the text.
Cardiovascular System Objectives
Heart
Describe the structure of the heart, including the chambers, coronary vessels, and cardiac cells; explain what occurs in heart diastole (relaxation) and systole (contraction), including the part we experience as the “heart beat;” and chart the flow of blood through the heart, including the major vessels feeding into and out of the heart and the changing amounts of oxygen (high or low).
Vessels
List the various blood vessels, including arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins; describe the structures and functions of arteries, veins, and capillaries; and explain the blood pressure test, including how it relates to artery pressures and what the systolic and diastolic numbers indicate.
Blood
Describe the composition of blood, including the relative amounts and roles of red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets; and identify RBCs, platelets, and the five different types of WBCs under the microscope.
Exercise
Provide examples of different types of aerobic exercise; describe three ways aerobic exercise can impact the heart; and demonstrate how to take your own heart rate by hand.